'99 Willakenzie Pinot Noir "Aliette"

[ddf68]

'99 Willakenzie Pinot Noir "Aliette"
Saturated purple color w a strong nose of red fruits and oak. Plenty of brambly fruit on the palate somewhere between black and red, call it black raspberry, with a faint mineral note that with aeration grew distinctly flinty. Good length and ripe tannin on the finish. This was fat, rich, and very tasty.

The rest of the bottle on day two showed a lot differently--baby fat and minerals were gone, leaving behind a lean but dense core of pure black cherry. I sometimes find Willakenzie Pinot(esp. their clonal selections)to be too big and oaky, but this is a promising bottle.

ddf

[Bucko]

I like their wines. Their Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are the best out of Oregon IMHO.

Bucko

[joeyz6]

How much did that run you?

[ddf68]

Joey, this came from the winery. I think the list price is $35. You can get it at a 20% discount if you join their club.

ddf

[Cole]

Nice review on the WillaKenzie '99 Aliette. I had the wine last night and found it to be just as described in the first post. Tonight I want to try the '99 Pierre Leon as comparison. Laurent Montalieu, the winemaker, says he thinks his 99s are some of the best Pinots he's made.

Two days ago I had a just bottled (like, 15 minutes before opening) 2000 Aliette with Laurent, who commented that he particularly liked the spice he saw in it. While we weren't doing a formal tasting, I recall the wine had a bit more bright fruit than the '99, and rich, complex aromatics.

I asked about bottle shock, and Laurent and the others in the room said they have observed that it takes a day or two for bottle shock to develop. Anyway, Laurent also commented what I've heard most other winemakers say: that 2000 is the best combination of the character of '98 and '99 in one wine. Well soon see!!

[ddf68]

I haven't opened my '99 Pierre Leon yet. Maybe I'll drink it over the weekend and compare notes.

ddf

[ddf68]

Forgot to post on the "Pierre Leon" after the events of 9/11. I didn't take any written notes, so all I can say is that it had a really prominent bitter stemminess to it which held up for the couple of hours I tried to drink it and then also through to the day after. It showed up late on the palate along with the tannin, but I don't think it will go away as the tannin recedes. The critics generally praised this wine without mentioning this flaw. I may try another bottle, but for the time being my verdict is not favorable.

ddf